Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have secured qualification for the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco after recording an impressive 3 1 victory over defending champions Korea DPR.
The Nigerian youngsters produced a strong performance to overcome one of the tournament’s biggest teams, scoring three goals through Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Oluebube Umejiaku and Kanyinsola Yusuf to confirm their place in the knockout stage.
The victory represents a significant achievement for the Flamingos, who rose to the occasion against the reigning champions and demonstrated their attacking quality in a match that carried major importance for their World Cup campaign.
Nigeria made an excellent start to the encounter, taking the lead in the 15th minute through Adegbuyi. Her early goal gave the Flamingos the advantage and provided a confidence boost as they looked to establish control against their highly regarded opponents.
The Nigerian side continued to apply pressure and were rewarded again before half time. Umejiaku found the back of the net in the 38th minute to double the Flamingos’ advantage and strengthen their position heading into the break.
With a two goal lead, Nigeria had given themselves an important platform to build on, but the team maintained its attacking intent after the restart rather than becoming complacent.
That approach paid off in the 56th minute when Yusuf scored Nigeria’s third goal of the match. The strike extended the Flamingos’ lead to 3 0 and put them in a commanding position against the defending champions.
Korea DPR eventually pulled a goal back, reducing the deficit, but the Flamingos held firm to preserve their advantage and see out the contest with a 3 1 victory.
The result means Nigeria have defeated the reigning champions and booked their place in the Round of 16 of the tournament being staged in Morocco.
The Flamingos’ three goals also underlined the contribution of their attacking players, with Adegbuyi getting the breakthrough, Umejiaku adding a second before the interval and Yusuf extending the lead in the second half.
The Flamingos will now turn their attention to the Round of 16, where they will look to continue their progress and strengthen Nigeria’s challenge for the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup title.
Their victory over Korea DPR has sent a clear message that Nigeria will be a team to watch as the tournament moves into its decisive stages.
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